DILLIGAF Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 hello , i just pickecked up an old forge blower. It sems to be in good working order, but the fan inside makes a noice like the think is loose, and when i touch it, it is infact loose. Is this how it should be, or should it be nic and snugg in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Loose as it spins on the drive shaft or loose as in the drive shaft has slop in it side to side? Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 Loose as it spins on the drive shaft or loose as in the drive shaft has slop in it side to side? Thomas It seems to me like the dricve shaft has some slack and it makes the whole thing move. When i turn the lever, it also clicks as it turns. Thanks. Plin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 DILLIGAF, hopefully it is just loose on the shaft. Hand crank? If so take the outside cover off and there is a set screw on the hub of the blades, tighten it up. Sounds simple I know but check all the easy things first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 DILLIGAF, hopefully it is just loose on the shaft. Hand crank? If so take the outside cover off and there is a set screw on the hub of the blades, tighten it up. Sounds simple I know but check all the easy things first! Thank you very much Thomas, i will do that as soon as i get home today. I've been meaning to open it up, but i was not sure if it was something to do with it being old. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I had one that would "tic" on one fan blade. I adjusted the fan blade. I had another with slop side to side, there was a bearing adjustment on the other side I could move in but then it ran so it was always rubbing. The real fix would be to move the fan spider on the shaft to compensate but it had been in place a *LONG* time and was fragile cast and so what I did was to make a shim gasket for the cover from some scrap leather so it has a bit more room inside and doesn't rub anymore---it's worked ok as my main forge blower for 25 years now so I hope it was an "ok" way to go. I don't notice a decrease in effiency though I know they must have been some. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promero Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 a blowre i just bought is pretty old and i'm going to have to bath it in WD-40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 Hello Thomas, I just got done taking the blower apart and the fan is completely loose inside. I think I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 So, i just got done taking apart and cleaning the blower. The old grease looked like cake on the gearse. As it turned out i ended up having to make a little bushing for it, not the fan rotates freely and without any problems. When i get home today i'm going to grease it up and put it back together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Just a suggestion, use a light grease if you use grease. I use oil in all my blowers and they seem to work smoother. (SAE 30 oil) lighter is you want. Keep us posted. I stumbled onto a NICE blower last month at the 'World's Largest Flea Market' in Canton, TX. The guy was asking $125.00 for it, I took it home for $50.00! Super smooth, will continue to turn at least 4 revolutions once you let the handle go. I didn't have to do a thing to it. sweet.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted June 30, 2006 Author Share Posted June 30, 2006 Man, work sure gets in the way of fun. Well i finally got my blower in good working conditions, cleaned the gears, lubed it, and put the thing back together. And, now it's working just about like new. Now i need to get the adobe (still not sure where to get it, i have not found any place locally where i can buy it), and get my forge together. I really cannot wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 BUY IT?????? You seem to be missing the point. What you want is some clayey dirt that you can mix with ashes/straw/whatever. Have you tried your back yard or a local creek? Under extremis city folk have been known to buy the cheapest clay based kitty litter and soak that over night and use that as the clay part of an adobe mix. If you are located around Columbus OH I passed on my secret clay bank location to a friend before I moved and I'd be happy to put you in contact with them. You can also buy bentonite at feed stores if you must go that route. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I wrote the following in answer to a question in the "Den" some time ago. It describes lining a forge plus a bit on blowers and fuel. Perhaps it will be helpful here: Lining a Forge: I lined a Buffalo forge that has the lips an inch or so above the iron hearth and it turned out well. The process is based on something I learned years ago when I used to help my grandpa build houses. In addition to carpentry, he did some rock work and one thing we would do occasionally is reline fireplaces. On horizontal areas, he would make up a mix, apply it dry and level, then spray water on top. This would rock up in a day or so without cracking. The mix I used (based on his recipe) was 3 parts mortar, 3 parts clean sand, 1 part fireclay and 1 part dry lime. I mixed it, poured in the hearth to a depth that was flush to the top of the firepot and raked it smooth, then sprayed only enough water on it until the surface was wet. I let sit two days before making a fire and it had hardened nicely with no visible cracks anywhere. I think the minimal amount of water helps eliminate the cracking. Coal Forges: I have seen more badly constructed coal forges than good ones in my life. A lot of folks make their own (which is perfectly fine) without a basic knowledge of not only how but why it works. All solid fuels need some amount of air pressure to burn properly. You can have too much velocity with insufficient pressure or too much pressure without enough air movement. The two extremes can be illustrated by a couple of examples. A light wind blowing on a campfire will make it hotter but only the outside of the fuel pile burns because the breeze can't make it to the interior. Conversely, hooking an air compressor to a firepot will make a fire but any amount of pressure much over a few pounds will blow the fuel out of the pot. The reason why bellows and centrifugal fans work so well on a forge is that they generate the right combination of both air supply and pressure. Too big a blower (like a large, electric squirrel cage) will lead to excess fuel consumption, more clinker and an oxidizing fire. In addition, a squirrel cage can be "stalled" because they are designed to move large amounts of air - not push it thru a mass of burning fuel. Conversely, too little air will never allow the fire to reach its proper potential for heating. The proper size air inlet to the fire is also important. I'm sure a lot of folks have used grates drilled with a bunch of holes but 1-3 larger holes is better. One of the best homemade firepots I ever saw had a 1/2x3" slot cut in the bottom. The pot was entirely made from 1/2 inch steel plate and there was no clinker breaker. This arrangement made a nice hot fire with a center about the size of a grapefruit, which is about like a commercial pot. I recently exchanged notes with a professional British smith who uses a side blast. It is simply a piece of 1" heavy wall stainless tubing as a tuyere and aimed slightly downward into a molded mortar "duck's nest". The coal is piled up in the hearth and forms it's own bed in the depression. Other fire shapes can be made by employing fire bricks to redirect the blast. This simple arrangement works well and eliminates all the Rube Goldberg creations that get built in back yards. The smith said he can easily weld with this design and some of these forges have lasted over 5 years in daily use. I use a coal that generates a big clinker in a hurry but it was cheap, gets hot and cokes well so the only disadvantage is the dirt. Therefore, I have learned to build a fire and use it for half hour or so then let the clinker cool for a couple of minutes. At this point, there is enough to usually pick up in one piece while I try not to disturb the coke around the pot. I can usually clean the fire and get back to work without breaking the whole fire down. If I have one piece of advice about fire tending, it's that less is usually more. I have seen a lot of people that tear the whole fire down on every heat or spend the entire time digging up the coke ball. A fire has to form a natural bed to work properly and it takes a few minutes for this to occur. A good coal smith will replace the piece for the next heat and rake a little coke on top. As the fire burns hollow, the sides are pushed in a bit. This gentle management is done during every heat - you don't work for an hour and then tend the fire all at once. written by Hollis Wooldridge March 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 BUY IT?????? You seem to be missing the point. What you want is some clayey dirt that you can mix with ashes/straw/whatever. Have you tried your back yard or a local creek? Hello Thomas, unfortunatelly i live in south Florida and we do not have naturally occuring clay. But, i did find a place on line where I think I can get the type clay that i need. My blower is in great working conditions and i think that i might have my forge up and running in the next week or so. Thank you everybody for your help. I will be posting my progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mills Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Dilligaf not trying to dissuade you from you course of action but consider this. If you were to build a campfire in your back yard would the burning dirt be a fire hazard? In other words don't over think this process as I did and not light a fire for another year after I set out to learn. granpa built his forge out of 2x scrap and heaped dirt, sand, what have you in to it. 3 or 4 inches deep should suffice. You have what I think is the most difficult part, a good air source! Like on the television commercials " Don't Wait! ACT NOW!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Just a suggestion, use a light grease if you use grease. When I got my hand crank blower I had to use two hands to turn the crank. When I opened up the gear box, I found that a previous owner had packed a very thick, heavy grease in there. I had to completely dissassemble the thing and bathe it in kerosene. After cleaning, putting in a new gasket, and oiling, it works great. Cheers, Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 Dilligaf not trying to dissuade you from you course of action but consider this. If you were to build a campfire in your back yard would the burning dirt be a fire hazard? In other words don't over think this process as I did and not light a fire for another year after I set out to learn. granpa built his forge out of 2x scrap and heaped dirt, sand, what have you in to it. 3 or 4 inches deep should suffice. You have what I think is the most difficult part, a good air source! Like on the television commercials " Don't Wait! ACT NOW!" Not at all, my original idea was to make an underground forge. But, not only is south Florida abundant with crap soil but we also get a xxxx load of rain and I figured that it would just get ruined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strine Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 BUY IT?????? ThomasP I thought your response was a little timid, I would have gone withBUY IT?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mills Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 If the soil doesn't burn, it'll do fine. As for rain, well throw a tarp over it. and as you use coal, the ash and clinker will mix into the soil and it ain't gonna wash away. Up here in OK, it is used to fix roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 Thank you very much for the thoughts, but another problem that I have to deal with is that our water table is very high. If I dig about a foot or maybe even less I pretty much get a hole with water. And I don't mean damp soil. I mean a I get a hole full of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Norris Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Have you seen Glenns' Blueprint for the 55 gallon drum forge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAF Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 No I haven't seen that, but I will look around for it and take a look. My plan is to make it out of an old BBQ grill, maybe two of them joined together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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